the jingling sound of a bell
by whimsyappletea
Summary: "It's just a dream; nothing to worry about." —summer is the season of cute cat boys for her. CheshireAlyss; alternate universe.


**a/n:** every time i write something 'short' it turns out so much longer ahahaha orz;;;

this was actually an idea from two years ago that i finally decided to write out in celebration of retrace 94 (and the raws for retrace 95)—cheshire bb ily thank god you're back aaaa

it's also loosely based off a sweet oneshot shoujo manga called _Hanirabi_ (Honey Rabbit) hehe

so alternate universe (high school summer!au), cheshirealyss and hints of jackalyss if you squint; personalities and my writing may be a bit shaky because i'm a little rusty after so long i am gomen

((and i swear im working on some good lenrin material i've just been busy with a mountain of assignments please bear with me ;A;

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"Yes, I will remember to eat this time, no worries," a girl murmurs absently, phone tucked between her head and shoulder as she fumbles with the house keys. "Mm-hm. Lots of meat, I understand."

The chattering over the line dramatically increases in pitch and frequency, but she remains unfazed. "No, no, don't apologize—I know how Mr Baskerville can get," she soothes, turning the doorknob. "Just remember to focus during your summer classes, alright? See you."

With that, she ends the call, closing the door behind her softly. She toes her shoes off and lines them up by the side neatly, calling, "I'm home."

The light pattering of feet and a tiny '_meow_' is what she hears in reply.

"Hey," the girl murmurs, the skirt of her uniform bunching up around her knees as she squats down to greet her friend. "Thank you for looking after the house for me..."

Alyss smiles at him, warm around the edges.

"Cheshire."

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**the jingling sound of a bell**

_as we exchange 'good morning' greetings with each other,  
i saw a pair of cat ears on your head—  
am i still dazed from dreaming?_

.

"Mr Vessalius is busy with paperwork," she says, a light air to her voice as she tosses a fistful of cabbage into her pot of stew. Having taken a quick cold shower, the girl is now clad in shorts and an oversized shirt that's definitely not hers. "It's not like I was expecting him to come over today, you know?"

From where he's perched on the kitchen counter, Cheshire merely nods his head towards the pot she's currently stirring—along with the mountain of ingredients beside it.

Alyss lifts her chin to a defiant angle. "I'm indulging in stew. And I'm hungry."

He meows, the expression on his face almost expectant.

She holds his gaze for a minute, then lowers her own. Persists more softly, "You know how it is."

The cat pads over and rubs against her arm comfortingly.

"Oh, Cheshire..." Alyss says, turning to stroke him, careful to avoid the bandage wound around one of his eyes.

A few years back, she had rescued him from a bunch of stupid kids who thought it would be fun to stab his eyes with a scissors. Even though he was lucky she stopped them before they managed to finish the task, his right eye was left permanently damaged.

"With you around, I don't feel lonely at all," she whispers, pulling him into a hug and burying her face into his soft, dark fur. "You're the only one who truly understands me."

He snuggles closer to the girl, eye curving to a half-moon in contentment.

"Oh!" She suddenly exclaims, setting Cheshire onto her shoulder as she hurries over to where her school bag is slumped over in the living room. "I almost forgot—I made this for you in class today. Ta-da!"

Alyss proudly holds up her red woven collar, complete with a pretty little bell. It's a little crooked and tapered off at one end, but—she did it all by herself.

For him.

Cheshire meows, his lone eye growing bright with happiness.

"Alright, alright," she coos, clipping it around his neck securely. "See, now I'll know exactly where you are with no trouble at all!"

The girl giggles when he licks her cheek in appreciation.

Then, she catches the whiff of something strange—almost like something's... burning?

"Oh no, the stew!" Alyss yelps, letting go of the cat and returning her attention back to the pot, which is boiling madly and producing a lot of steam.

Cheshire purrs in amusement, licking his paw as he watches his owner scramble to save her dinner.

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_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"...nngh..."

Alyss rolls over sluggishly, pulling the blankets tighter around her frame. It's the summer holiday; what on earth possessed her to set the alarm?

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

She extends a hand out towards the clock, fumbling around to switch it off and catch a couple more winks of sleep.

_Beep! Beep! Bee—Click._

Ah, there we go... wait.

That wasn't her hand.

It couldn't have been Alice, who would just jump on her to get her to wake up, and it couldn't have been Mr Baskerville, who would prod her gently with a finger and rumble in his deep voice, so...

There's the jingling sound of a bell, and the girl freezes, eyes springing open immediately.

"Oh, you're awake?"

A boy is towering over her, tall and lanky and awkward. He retracts his hand—if you can call it that, considering he has large, padded paws with sharp claws at the ends.

He observes her curiously as she bolts upright, bewildered.

"Who...?"

"Good morning, Alyss," he greets, low and flat and quiet. There seem to be bandages covering his eye under that mass of unruly hair, she notes, along with a bell that sits nicely at the centre of his wine-red shirt.

It is then that she sees the cat ears perched on either side of his head, perk and alert—along with the tail swishing lazily behind him.

Without another word, she flops over, pulling the sheets back over her head.

"It's just a dream," the girl mumbles to herself, her voice muffled. "Nothing to worry about."

"Ah, Alyss...?"

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After much convincing on his part, the boy finally manages to coax Alyss out of bed.

"So," she begins slowly, braiding and unbraiding a wing of pale hair, "you're telling me that _you're_ Cheshire."

He nods.

She turns, peering over at where Cheshire—the _real_ Cheshire—usually sleeps. The cat bed is empty, and she couldn't find him anywhere just now.

Even stranger is the fact that 'Cheshire' seems to be very satisfied with his breakfast—which consists of pelleted cat food and some dried fish.

The girl shakes her head in disbelief, rummaging through the cupboard for her container of sugar. She's going to need that extra boost, especially if she's apparently exhausted to the point of hallucination.

As she adds several teaspoonfuls of sugar into her iced tea, a large claw wraps around her hand, making her jerk in surprise.

"You must be tired," the boy comments, guiding her to set the teaspoon down onto the dining table. His grip is shockingly gentle—he could have held a butterfly without harming it. "You seldom drink your tea this sweet."

Alyss blinks owlishly. "How..."

He doesn't appear to hear her; his attention has shifted to the muffins on the table. "And weren't you saving those for when Vessalius finally visits?"

Her eyes round in surprise.

.

"_Sweet things are perfect for when you're tired," she chirped, swinging her legs cheerfully as she munched on a fresh cookie she'd just baked. "Wouldn't you agree, Cheshire?"_

_The cat lounging beside her meowed in agreement._

"_Ah, I know!" Her eyes brightened as an idea struck her. "Maybe I could bake muffins for Mr Vessalius!"_

_She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks already flushed in excitement. "I can keep them for him when he finds the time to visit—I'm sure he'll love them!"_

.

You've got to be kidding me, Alyss thinks, lips parting in shock.

"Cheshire...?"

His ears twitch at her call. "Yes?"

"...no way."

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All things considered, it isn't that bad; her day had been relatively uneventful and lazy as always—except now with a cat-turned-human by her side.

Literally.

Alyss breathes as shallowly as possible, trying not to wake the boy snuggled next to her on the sofa. He seems perfectly content with his cheek tucked into the crook of her shoulder, even though he's so much taller than her.

This is the exact same position they're in everyday when he's taking his afternoon nap in cat-form.

But the weather is truly terrible, the girl muses, mopping a hand across her forehead. She takes a glance at the wall clock for the time, and jumps a little, startling the snoozing boy.

"Mrrmph?"

"Oh, sorry about that, Cheshire," she apologizes, getting up and pushing him back against the sofa so he doesn't fall over. "I forgot that there's a big sale at the supermarket today; I'll have to hurry before everything's all sold out."

When she notices his put-off expression, she bends over and brushes a hand through his bangs—she'd removed the bandages, allowing his curly fringe to cover one side of his face. "I'll be back before you know it, Cheshire... it's like your usual house-sitting, okay?"

He's silent as he watches the girl grab a tote bag and stuff her necessities inside, but just as she's almost out the door he utters one word:

"No."

"...excuse me?"

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"Just cosplay—nothing to see here," Alyss calls out awkwardly, linking arms with Cheshire as they make their way to the supermarket, trying to avoid attracting attention thanks to his large paws. The boy had been insistent on following, and nothing that she said or did could convince him otherwise.

He sniffs at the cool blast of air upon entering, looking every bit as out of place as one would be when they're barely human for half a day. "Alyss," he says, poking her sleeve with a careful claw, "Cheshire smells fish."

"Of course you do; this place sells all sorts of food, like fruits, vegetables, meat—including fish—and dairy," the girl explains patiently. "Now, come on."

.

She's lost him.

She's completely, utterly lost him.

Alyss pushes down the urge to panic as she ducks between the aisles, searching for the boy she'd lost somewhere in that mini-fight for the last pack of fresh eggs.

"Cheshire?" The girl calls, walking briskly down the rows of pet food. Nope, not here... "Cheshire, where are—_oof!_"

She bumps into a tall blond, and would've lost her balance from the impact had the stranger not caught her. Her basket of groceries drops to the floor with a noisy clatter.

"Careful there, girl," he says, oozing charisma and politeness and something else entirely. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"N-no," Alyss stammers, taking a shaky step back. He seems nice enough, but—"I-I'm really sorry, I have to go—"

"What's your hurry?" The man drawls, catching her wrist easily. "At the rate you're going, you're bound to knock yourself out somehow."

His dual-coloured eyes draw her in, rendering her paralyzed. "A-ah..." The girl bites her lip anxiously, hoping someone would help her—Cheshire, where was Cheshire—

There's the jingling sound of a bell, before a dark-furred claw clamps down onto the blond's shoulder, making him flinch.

"Get away from Alyss," Cheshire hisses as he bares sharp rows of pointy teeth, blood-red eye glowing almost maliciously.

He shoves the stranger away with enough force to send him stumbling—and enough ferocity to send him running for his life.

The boy turns to his owner, features settling back into his default quiet, unassuming expression. "Alyss, are you alri—"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence as he suddenly finds himself plastered with an armful of cute girl.

"I was so scared," she mumbles into his shirt. "Where were you?"

Cheshire flusters over where to put his hands for a moment, before he places a paw over her head awkwardly. "Cheshire... lost sight of Alyss," he recounts slowly. "Cheshire looked everywhere, but he couldn't find you... then he sensed you were in trouble."

Alyss hiccups; she's still trembling a little. What would she have done if he hadn't been with her? "T-thank you... for finding me..."

"Cheshire will always be here to protect Alyss," the boy says, solemn and earnest. "No matter what."

She sniffs, swiping at her watery eyes and offering a brave little smile.

"Let's go home."

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It is only after they put away all the groceries that Alyss realizes how late it is—how dark the sky has become. Even so, the evening is just barely cooler than a few hours before.

The boy, having finished his usual fill of warm milk, is bleary-eyed as he nuzzles further into her side, large paws curled around her shoulders.

"Cheshire's sleepy," he slurs, heat-induced fatigue sewing his words together.

She smiles, ruffling his dark hair fondly. "Go on and rest, then."

To her surprise, Cheshire starts shifting to sit up on the sofa properly. After a brief struggle, he looks at her with a spark of determination, then—

He leans in, pressing his lips to hers, just for a moment, just for a heartbeat.

"My goodnight kiss," the boy explains when he pulls away, colour spilling over his cheekbones as he averts his gaze from hers.

Alyss feels her own face burn, knowing what he's referring to—she pecks him on the nose every night before she goes to bed.

"Um," she says rather intelligently. "Um, Cheshire, how did... how did you become human?" The girl is too embarrassed to come up with a reply to his words—and so changes the subject.

"Mrr? Cheshire doesn't know," he mumbles honestly, pressing his face against the curve of her shoulder again. "It just happened..."

Alyss blinks. "Then... how are you going to turn back?" When she doesn't receive a response, she shifts to peer down at him. "Cheshire?"

Ah, he's asleep.

She leans back against him, her eyelids lowering and her lips curving.

.

The girl wakes up to the sound of the doorbell buzzing the next morning.

"Alyss!" A familiar voice calls as the front door opens. "It's me, Jack!"

_Oh no_, is the first thing that pops up in her mind as she jumps up from the sofa, a blanket sliding off her lap. That hadn't been there last night, but she has more important things to worry about.

She whips her head around the empty living room, messy, flyaway hair framing her panicked eyes. How is she ever going to explain _him_ to Mr Vessalius?

"Cheshire," the girl calls, the name hissing between her teeth as she moves to check the other rooms. "Cheshire, where are you?"

She jumps when someone suddenly taps her on the shoulder from behind.

"Woah, woah—Alyss, it's just me," Jack says, concern flickering in his eyes. "Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing's wrong," she replies a little hastily. "I... I was just looking for Cheshire."

Jack blinks, smiling lopsidedly in confusion. "Isn't that him right there?"

She whirls, expecting to see the tall, quiet boy she's grown used to—

—only to find Cheshire in his full cat glory sitting near her feet, his tail swishing against her ankles.

It's as if yesterday had never happened.

"H-huh?"

"The heat must be getting to you, Alyss," Jack teases, clapping a hand lightly against her back. "I've got just the trick to remedy—how do chilled orange popsicles sound, hm?"

Alyss smiles weakly, allowing the man to steer her back to the dining room—but not without sending a few backward glances at her cat.

Maybe it really was just a heat-hazed dream, after all...?

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When he's certain the girl isn't looking back at him, Cheshire slits his gaze at Jack's retreating figure, ruffled fur falling over one side of his face.

Stupid Vessalius, always ruining his quality time with Alyss.

There's the jingling sound of a bell as he rolls the red woven collar back and forth under his paw.

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_is this illusion a dream or reality?  
the summer sun tires us out..._

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**owari.**

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**a/n:** here are some little tidbits i couldn't really fit into the story:

- for this au, alyss and her sister both study at ludwidge academy; oswald and jack are teachers there (initially i'd intended for them to be senpai-tachi but they're too old for that lmao)  
- alyss lives alone; oswald and alice live together in the same apartment and makes sure to check in on her from time to time  
- jack visits whenever he's free; alyss has a crush on him (but maybe not anymore you never know eheh)

**disclaimer:** i do not own Pandora Hearts, or Hatsune Miku's _Nekomimi Switch_.


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